When should your genetic information trump your right to privacy?
Research on the human genome is advancing at a tremendous pace, and the cost of genetic testing is falling just as quickly. But those signs of scientific progress also raise complicated ethical issues...
View ArticleFor many geeks, Anonymous is the gateway drug to political and social activism
You almost certainly know the group "Anonymous." They're the online hacker-activists — hacktivists for short — that operate all over the globe."The great majority of individuals who are attracted, who...
View ArticleThe city of Helsinki imagines a car-less and more care-free future
In Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the city’s current transportation system is overstretched and short of money. City streets have no room left for more car traffic or parking. City planners have a...
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Why this Great White Shark has fans and followers around the world
I have a girl crush. Her name is Lydia and she’s gorgeous.But here is the thing about my girl crush; she could crush me. She’s a 2,000-pound, 14-foot-long Great White Shark.Lydia the shark was fitted...
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Scientists are putting seals to work to gather ocean current data
A group of molting elephant seals is an assault to the nose. Just ask marine biologist Mike Fedak. He spent some time last February with the giant animals, whiffing their feces and hair as they...
View ArticleThe US Supreme Court will hear a challenge to EPA mercury emissions rule
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear an industry appeal of new EPA rules limiting mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants is just one of several lawsuits in the pipeline — and...
View ArticleTo see the changes Edward Snowden wrought, just look at your smartphone
After Edward Snowden leaked information about a wide range of government surveillance programs, many people expected a major legal shift in the world of Internet security. But calls for stricter laws...
View ArticleThe Curiosity rover uncovers evidence that Mars once had a massive lake
The Mars we know today is a frozen wasteland that endures deadly bombardments of cosmic and solar radiation every single day. But the Mars of the past may have been dramatically different.Curiosity,...
View ArticleFacebook annexed Kosovo — and that’s a good thing
For a digital diplomat like Petrit Selimi, getting Kosovo's independence recognized is not about increasing your cache of guns — it's about Facebook.Selimi, Kosovo’s deputy minister of foreign affairs,...
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One of the world's original digital diplomats says Twitter is an 'unrivaled...
You could call Arturo Sarukhan a "pioneer of digital diplomacy"— it’s even in his Twitter bio. That’s because the former Mexican ambassador to the US is credited as the first foreign ambassador to use...
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Shaggy dogs, sexy sharks, boozy birds — it's the top animal stories of 2014
"I want to scratch its snout!"That's the phrase I use most often in the newsroom. It's usually preceded by a high-pitched squeaky sound of delight.Yes. I'm that person.I'm a huge animal-lover. Don't...
View ArticleIncreasing time between eating controls metabolism and reverses obesity in mice
A new study on mice shows that how much you eat may not be as important as when you eat it.Researchers found that mice were less likely to develop obesity, diabetes or other negative consequences of...
View ArticleA computer glitch paralyzes London's Heathrow Airport for hours
A computer problem that shuts down an airport sounds kind of like the start of a terrible action movie. But five airports in the United Kingdom were effectively shut down for several hours on Friday...
View ArticleThe man behind a top ISIS Twitter account lives in India
An investigation by the UK's Channel 4 has revealed the identity of the person behind a very prolific, pro-ISIS Twitter account.According to the report, the account with handle @ShamiWitness, which has...
View ArticleClimate change talks now have human rights on the agenda
The latest meeting of United Nations climate negotiators, known as COP 20, began December 1 in Lima, Peru with one agenda item higher on the list than usual: human rights.There’s renewed optimism in...
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A scientist unlocks one of the mysteries of Arctic ice melt
On a bright day in early May, Chris Polashenski tromps across the ice north of Alaska — 100 miles from the nearest land — to sink half-a-dozen plastic pipes into the ice.Other researchers are spread...
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When the crows attack, who you gonna call? In Eilat, it's the crow hitman
Tourists flock to the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat for sea, sun and snorkeling. But crows have flocked there too — and one man is on a mission to get rid of them.At 7 a.m. in Eilat, the ocean...
View Article194 countries make a historic climate deal, but it may not be worth much
There's a new global deal today on climate: It's a deal to make a deal to set a course to cut the greenhouse pollution that's heating up the planet in another few years. And if that's more than a bit...
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Here's the impossibly complicated way calculators used to look
Mark Glusker had heard rumors about the mechanical calculator, a Monroe PC-1421; that it was one the most complicated devices of the sort ever built; that it was powerful but notoriously difficult to...
View ArticleNow will Cuba get better Internet service?
Cuba, your Internet access is crap. You know it. The whole world knows it. But especially your citizens.And to some degree, it's not a technical issue. You have a somewhat spanking new underwater cable...
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